Unicef

Mission:The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs, and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.

Purpose of Site:The UNICEF Web site provides information about the organization, including its mission, history, and office locations around the world; its programs, emergency services, and research efforts; and its publications, speeches, and statistics on children.

Background:UNICEF's roots can be traced back to 1946 when children in Europe faced famine and disease after World War II. The United Nations established the agency in December of that year to provide emergency aid and extended its task in 1950 to work with children and families throughout the developing world. UNICEF's accomplishments include receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965, organizing the World Summit for Children, and convening a special session of the UN General Assembly to focus on children in 2002.

Outstanding Feature:The Voices of Youth section of the site invites users to learn about and discuss children's issues. In the Meeting Place, users can read about and respond to a range of topics, including children and work, children's rights, children and war, the girl child, and children and cities. The Learning Place offers quizzes about children's issues, while the Teachers' Place focuses on how to bring UNICEF into the classroom. Throughout all of the Voices of Youth pages, a toolbar at the top of the page has links to home, search, discuss, and help, as well as pages in French and Spanish.

Honorable Mention:Under the Information Resources area, the Statistics page serves as a gateway to UNICEF's key statistical databases site, which includes detailed country-specific information that was used for assessment purposes at the end of the last decade. The site — http://www.childinfo.org — also offers global and regional summary analyses and key results of progress over the decade.